Just Call Me Angel of the Morning
by DappleRose
Summary: PG for some possible mild swearing. Anyway, Ron is injured in a Quidditch accident. Co-written with Hazelline. R/H; H/G
1. Chapter 1: Tumbleweed

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Chapter 1: Tumbleweed

(By DappleRose)

A/N: If you haven't read it already, please read the epilogue to this, written by my esteemed colleague: Hazelline. We are trying to piece together a fic over ff.net, so please look for the next chapter from her.

Hermione paced up and down a hall in St. Mungo's Wizard Hospital, her eyes fixed on a smooth, oak door. Room number 203. Ron's room. What was _taking_ them so long? She had half the mind to throw open the door and demand to know what was going on. Instead, she paced. Quick, long strides. If she kept pacing, she could stop herself from collapsing into a heap…at least that was what she'd convinced herself. 

"Miss Granger?" a young, blonde nurse with a nasal voice called her name from a clipboard. It shook Hermione from her dream-like trance into reality. "You may come in now, Miss Granger." At once, she strode into Ron's room and accosted the doctor there. She started asking numerous questions, but was silenced with a wave of the hand.

"Hello, I am Doctor Toracceli. I assume you are the fiancée." There was a twinkle in his eye strangely reminiscent of Dumbledore. "Ronald suffered severe trauma to the head when the bludgers hit him. I'm afraid that a few of the nerves in the frontal lobe of his brain have been shifted in such a way that further damage to them could result in partial paralysis. The entire left side of his body could be rendered immobile. 

As it is, he will have a hard time walking. Now, with proper rehabilitation, this small problem can easily be corrected. There are a few spells that we can and will perform that will make this difficult process go more quickly, but otherwise, we will have to rely on the Muggle procedures. To insure that further damage does not occur, Ronald can no longer play Quidditch. It is simply too dangerous."

Hermione stared openly at the doctor in numb shock. Ron? Not play Quidditch? He would be devastated. The doctor continued explaining the situation and the procedures that would be taken to insure this and that. For once, though, Hermione was not paying attention. Her eyes were locked on the sleeping face of her fiancée as if to memorize every detail of it. They drank in the soft cheekbones and the small tilt of his mouth. She analyzed the fiery red hair that sprung from his head, the eyelids that she knew held bright blue eyes that laughed and shone. Hermione didn't notice when Doctor Toracceli left the two of them alone in the hospital room. She gently clasped his limp hand in hers, stroking it lovingly. Pulling a chair up beside the bed, she sat down to wait out what promised to be a very long night.


	2. Chapter 2: The Gang's All Here

Note to Jo: Yeah, I think we've created a monster…fluff bunny. ;) Fun, though, isn't it? Did you have fun in France? Oh, and the view for this chapter? Ginny, but it turns Hermione, because I couldn't continue it. Sorry!  
  
Note to the readers and reviewers: Hey, if you're just starting to read our story now, please be aware that I'm writing with Hazelline. So, we both have "Just Call Me Angel of The Morning"-s and she posted the epologue on her name, I posted the first chapter on mine, she posted the second…and it just keeps alternating. This is the way it's gonna be. Okay? Just it keeps jumping around. Also, sorry that I've not posted for so long. I didn't realize Jo had posted another chapter until recently and then I had writer's block! Grrr… (Thanks for reading.)  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ __  
  
Ginny placed the receiver in its cradle with a definitive "click".  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
At the end of the first year of the war, it had been clear that communications needed some drastic changes.  
  
Death Eaters had been intercepting owls every minute.  
  
Then, a Muggle-born had suggested using the telephone.  
  
The Ministry had jumped on this idea at once and had started charming telephones so that Death Eaters couldn't overhear confidential conversations.  
  
Telephone Communications class had quickly replaced History of Magic in Hogwarts schedules.  
  
The Ministry had set up free seminars on telephone use for members of the Order of the Phoenix.  
  
Using this new method of communication, the Order had prevailed; the war ended, but the wizarding community still continued to use the telephone.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ginny plopped onto the nearest chair and rested his head on his hands. God, what was going on in there? Why was Hermione jibbering so frantically? Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. She straightened up and clipped to the kitchen, where Harry was shakily sipping a mug of tea that she'd made him. It was a small kitchen, but it was warm and inviting. Most Weasley kitchens, it seemed, were like that.  
  
"Gin, I'm going to Apparate over to St. Mungos and find out what's going on." It was as if he had read her mind.  
  
Ginny immediately went to the opposite wall and pulled on her cloak.  
  
"I'm coming too."  
  
Before he had time to argue, she was gone with a small 'pop', closely followed by one of his own.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione was sitting on a semi-comfortable chair in Ron's room, watching him breathe peacefully. Every couple of breaths, he would twitch his nose irritably. The effects of the Sleeping Draught had taken instant effect, and for that, Hermione was glad. She still had to find a way to break the news to him.  
  
Some voices could be heard outside the door. They seemed to be arguing with one another, and an unmistakable female voice swore loudly. A voice (Ginny's, Hermione recognized it instantly) yelped in surprise, but quickly resumed tormenting some poor nurse's assistant.  
  
The door swept open, and a harassed looking Ginny strode in, apparently annoyed with the security. Harry shut the door quietly behind them, quite impressed.  
  
"Hermione, what's going on here? How is Ron?"  
  
"Ron's fine, Ginny, but… he might not be able to play Quidditch any more."  
  
"Does he know yet?" asked Harry.  
  
"No. I don't know how to tell him. I just… can't."  
  
Harry was about to answer, when the door burst open. In came Molly Weasley, who rushed to her son's side in tears. Arthur wasn't far behind, restraining her from hysterics. Then, the twins bounded in, setting up traps on the posts of Ron's bed and chairs. Hermione could only imagine what was going to happen to some unsuspecting nurse.  
  
Charlie Apparated right in the room, and he joined his parents at the side of Ron's bed, after making a few distracted courtesies to Harry and Hermione. Ginny rolled her eyes at him. Bill, if anyone had looked, could be found outside, failing miserably in an attempt to get at his brother's room. Apparently, a few girls were trying to give him their numbers, only to be disappointed as he announced that he was engaged.  
  
Hermione was then assigned to the task of re-telling the events of the day to her future family members, which she wasn't quite looking forward to. 


	3. Ch. 5: Of Books and Libraries

Of Books and Libraries  
  
Ch. 5  
  
By DappleRose  
  
A/N: Yup, that's right! We're here again!  
  
Readers: Thanks for reading. Special thanks to WhiteLily, whom I can't help thinking I've met before.  
  
Jo: Hmmm…Oliver Wood is real cheery person, isn't he? We'd better watch out, or we'll have some G.R.O.W.L.-ers on our backs. (  
  
  
  
*  
  
The wind blew her hair across her face as she trekked up the hill to Hogwarts. Hermione was tense as she started to reach her old school, her home for so many years. She'd always had faith in the sanity of Hogwarts.  
  
It was like the eye in the middle of the storm. Now, for the first time, she was worried. Worried that maybe…just maybe… the Library didn't have what she was looking for. Was it even possible to help Ron? Maybe Oliver was right, and there really was no hope.  
  
'No!' she told herself, 'That sort of thinking won't help Ron.'  
  
Without realizing it, she had reached the threshold of Hogwarts. Tentatively, she opened the front doors and peeked inside. Hogwarts really hadn't changed since she'd been there. For some unexplainable reason, she had to gather all of her courage just to enter into her alma matre.  
  
Passing students looked at her quizzically when she padded into the Library. The sense of the Library overwhelmed her instantly. This was where she'd spent hours each day, researching and doing assignments, The smell of dusty books, quill ink, and burning lamps brought back many fond memories.  
  
Madame Pince greeted her and was curious as to what she was doing in the Library. Hermione quickly outlined her problem to one of her old role models. Madame Pince nodded in understanding and motioned her to the Restricted Section.  
  
With deft fingers, she pulled out about twenty large, dusty tomes. Then, she clipped to the next row and extracted more… and more… and more. Eventually, Hermione had enough books to make even her head spin. Madame Pince smiled almost maliciously at her, handed her a few more scrolls of parchment to add to the ones Hermione already had, and bade her 'good luck'.  
  
Soon, she was all alone with only stacks upon stacks of books to accompany her. Hermione set to work, determined. She had days of work ahead of her, but she would find a cure. She had to. 


	4. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:  
  
By DappleRose  
  
Harry whipped around the corner, cursing the wards around Ginny's house. Suddenly, in mid stride, he vanished…or so it would have seemed had a Muggle been watching. He had no idea where Hermione was, just that he had to get to her…now. Focusing on that, he Apparated, knowing that he'd be taken to her.  
  
There was a searing pain in his scull as he hit some sort of wall and plummeted ten feet to the ground. Brushing himself off, Harry glanced around. He had hit a ward, and he recognized this as the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.  
  
'So that's why I couldn't get in,' he thought dazedly.  
  
Although it was midday, the forest was dark and gloomy. There was no sign of a way out, or even of a path. He could easily have gotten lost in the maze of trees that extended for miles in all directions.  
  
There were school brooms in the old shed, he remembered. Concentrating on one, he muttered the spell under his breath that he had learned for the Triwizard Tournament.  
  
"Accio broom!" Harry closed his eyes and focused all his attention, until he felt cool wood hit his palm. With the skill of a great Quidditch player, he swung himself onto the foreign broom and hurtled high above the trees.  
  
The towers and turrets of Hogwarts could be easily seen from there, and he headed towards them.  
  
Before he knew it, he was sprinting up the stairs in excitement. Ron was going to be all right. Hermione was waiting for him in the front entrance. She flung arms around him happily, while dragging him into the hall. There, Professor McGonagall had set up a table, and was working out all the aspects of the spell.  
  
Together, they started explaining to him exactly what had to be done. 


End file.
